‘Star Wars 8’ Aside, What’s Daisy Ridley Been Up To? Rey’s Other Projects Are All Kinds Of Awesome

Being cast in a tentpole such as Star Wars, for up-and-coming actresses such as Daisy Ridley, comes with the risk of being known only as “Rey from Star Wars.” It’s also quite the challenge in terms of exposure, as she went from being a nobody to one of the new generation’s female role models in the space of just a few months. And just recently, she made headlines for because of her post calling to stop violence, which she later justified by stating she just needed a break from social media as a whole.

So the best way to look away from this turmoil and her major role as Rey, albeit an excellent one, is to focus on her latest projects — apart from Star Wars Episode 8, of course. As she’s proven she’s a talented actress, it won’t come as a surprise that she’s got fascinating plans ahead, from voice acting to even producing.

Only Yesterday, February 26, 2016

That one’s already been released, but if you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli’s delightful creations, you’ll be glad to hear that this 1991 masterpiece has been re-released in the US with Daisy Ridley voicing the main character, a young lady reminiscing about her childhood. Dev Patel is also on board.

The Eagle Huntress, October 28, 2016

The Eagle Huntress is a beautiful documentary about a 13-year-old girl named Aisholpan, who lives in Mongolia and is training to be the first female eagle hunter of her family. The story is narrated by Daisy Ridley, and it’s incredible to see how different her accent is from her work on Only Yesterday. Most importantly, she was also an executive producer on the project, which premiered at this year’s Sundance Festival.

See also:

Kolma

Ridley working with Abrams on the set of ‘The Force Awakens’ / Disney

Back in April, it was announced that Ridley was reuniting with The Force Awakens director J. J. Abrams on a new movie titled Kolma. Kolma is a remake of the Israeli TV movie All I’ve Got, a 2003 film about a woman whose boyfriend dies in a car accident when they’re both in their twenties. The day she dies, she’s offered the choice to start over from the day of the accident, or enter the afterlife as the new person she’s become — and not be reunited with him. The Diary of a Teenage Girl director Marielle Heller is attached as a writer and director, and Abrams will produce.

The Lost Wife

An adaptation of the book by Alyson Richman, The Lost Wife sees Lenka, an art student in Prague, fall in love with her best friend’s brother — but World War II is on their doorstep. Ridley will play Lenka, but no director has been confirmed for the project yet.

Chaos Walking

Not ones to give up on the YA genre, Lionsgate are planning to adapt Patrick Ness’s trilogy Chaos Walking. The first tome follows the adventures of a young boy named Todd, living in a male-only town in a world where all living creatures can hear each other’s thoughts. He meets Viola (played by Ridley), who on top of being a woman has an unreadable mind. Expect an epic ride that’s not so much YA as dark fantasy.